This book is the English translation of the 10th Century’s detailed commentary on the Beopgye-do 法界圖 (the Dharma Realm Diagram) composed by the 6th Century’s Korean Buddhist Master Uisang, the founder of the Korean Hwaeom school. As one the earliest among Gyunyeo’s works, this book illustrates the early stance of his Hwaeom philosophy quite well. Not only is the book the most systematic study-guide for the Beopgye-do, but also a detailed document demonstrating how Uisang’s Hwaeom philosophy was grasped by the Buddhist thinkers of the Unified Silla and Early Goryeo periods. In this book, Gyunyeo supports the opinion that Zhiyan influenced on Uisang’s writing this bansi, a kind of poetry written in a circular arrangement which has the Chinese characters written at the beginning connected to the Chinese character written at the end by way of many right-angle turns, so that it needs to be read by turning the page clockwise, and mentioning a controversy on whether Uisang wrote both of them or not, Gyunyeo argues that Uisang wrote both, on the basis of biographical essays by Choe Chi-won. This English edition contains the photoprints of the original text, the early 20th Century transcription of 1287 woodblock print of the the Ilseung beopgye-do Wontong-gi collected by Dongguk University, which will be a great valuable material for the scholars on Ancient Korean Buddhism.
Contents
Abbreviations and convention
On the Ilseung beopgye-do Wontong-gi
CHAPTER 1
Introduction: An Exposition of the Author and the Title
1. An Exposition of the Author
2. An Exposition of the Title
CHAPTER 2
Main Part: An Exposition of the Main Text
1. An Exposition of the Introduction (序分)
2. An Exposition of the Main Section (正宗分)
1) An Exposition of the Seal of the Dharma Realm Diagram
(1) An Exposition of the Form of the Seal of the Diagram
(2) An Exposition of the Helical-poem (槃詩) in the Seal of the Diagram
(3) An Exposition of the Way to Read this Helical-poem
2) An Exposition of the Part That Explains the “Seal of the Dharma Realm Diagram”
(1) An Exposition of the “General Interpretation of the Intention of the Seal” (摠釋印意)
(2) An Exposition of the “Itemized Explanation of the Shape of the Seal”
① On the Overall Shape of the Seal of the Diagram (印文相)
② On the Shape of the Characters (字相) in the Seal of the Diagram
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------(The first fascicle)
③ An Exposition of the Contents of the Seal of the Diagram (釋文意)
A. An Exposition of the Contents of the Helical-poem in the Seal of the Diagram (槃詩)
A) An Exposition of the Paragraph of Self-Benefiting Activities(自利行)
B) An Exposition of the Paragraph of the Other-Benefiting Activities(利他行)
C) An Exposition of the Paragraph of the Expedient Means of Practice (修行方便) and
Obtaining Benefits (得益)
(A) An Exposition of the Paragraph of the Expedient Means of Practice
(B) An Exposition of the Paragraph of Obtaining Benefits
ⓐ An Exposition of the Overall Explanation of the Paragraph of Obtaining Benefits(this is the end of the second fascicle)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------(The second fascicle) [not extant]
ⓑ An Exposition of the Questions and Answers in the Paragraph of Obtaining Benefits
B. An Exposition of the Overall Meaning of the Dhra of Dependent Origination
A) A Straightforward Explanation of the Meaning of the Dhra of Dependent Origination
(A) An Exposition of the Simile of Counting Coins
ⓐ An Exposition Concerning the Outline of the Simile of Counting Coins (數錢法)
ⓑ An Exposition on the Gate of Mutual-Inclusion (中門) and the Gate of Mutual-Identity (卽門)
(B) An Exposition of Universal Principles (普法)
B) An Exposition on the Difference between how the Dhra is Viewed in the One
Vehicle and how the Dhra is Viewed in the Three Vehicles
C) An Exposition of the Relevant Literature
3) An Exposition of This Book’s Title and the Sutras and Sastras It Relies Upon
4) An Exposition of the Questions and Answers for the Supplementary Explanation
3. An Exposition of the“ Dissemination Section” (流通分)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------(The third fascicle)
Colophon
The Translator’s Words in Korean Edition
Endnotes
Glossary
Index
The Manuscripts of the Ilseung beopgye-do Wontong-gi in Dongguk University Collection (photoprints)